"Pecs" From The Clinic

Part dux of the vanity muscles. Pectoral muscles along with the biceps and abdominal muscles are sometimes called vanity muscles because they are the most visible and therefore garner the most attention. Push ups and chest press are among some of the most popular exercises for the pectoral muscle group.

When executing a push up, support yourself face down on the ground with arms extended, hands shoulder width (or wider) apart and feet touching or slightly apart.

• Inhale and bend the elbows to bring the rib cage close to the ground without arching the low back.
• Push back up to complete arm extension.
• Exhale at the end of the movement.

Varying the tilt of the chest focuses the work on different parts of the pectorals:

• Feet higher isolates the clavicular head of the pectoralis major.
• Chest higher isolates the inferior part of the pectoralis major.

Varying the width of the hands focuses the work on different parts of the pectorals:

• Hands wider isolates the lateral part of the pecs.
• Hands closer together isolates the sternal head of the pecs.

I like the dumbbell chest press as it is safer, offers a greater range of motion, stretches and isolates the working muscles.
Triceps and anterior deltoid muscles are worked as well to a lesser degree.

• Inhale to prepare and exhale as you extend the arms vertically.
• Once the are fully extended, perform an isometric contraction and pull the weight back to your starting position as you inhale to prepare for your next rep.

Allow adequate recovery, 24-48 hours.